Mixed reaction from locals to Obama farewell speech

Wednesday

Jan 11, 2017 at 7:35 PMJan 11, 2017 at 7:35 PM

By Christian Yapor Daily News Staff

After President Barack Obama gave his farewell speech Tuesday in Chicago, many people Wednesday had mixed feelings about his parting words, underscoring the divisive wounds unleashed during the presidential campaign that were still very much unhealed.

“Whether we have seen eye to eye or rarely agreed at all, my conversations with you the American people… those conversations are what kept me honest, kept me inspired and kept me going,” said Obama.

“President Obama was very presidential, and addressed actions that needed to be done in a constructive and communal manner,” said state Rep. Brian Murray, D-Milford.

State Rep. Jeffrey Roy, D-Franklin, said, “I was impressed with the dignity and grace, and felt a sense of sadness because it is the end of an era.”

Some listeners of Obama’s speech were not moved.

“I thought it was a great speech, but I don’t think it dealt with reality,” said E. “Cappy” Capozzoli, team captain of the Medway Citizens for Trump.

Capozzoli said he thought the speech was inaccurate because even though Obama said the country was better off now than it was eight years ago, Capzzoli noted that the U.S. is now nearly $19 trillion in debt, and unemployment is not as low as it seems. He said most of those jobs are part-time positions that do not provide benefits for employees.

“The country is in difficulty, yet he paints a rosy picture,” said Capozzoli.

Leanne Harris, chairman of the Republican Town Committee in Medway, said, “I did have an overall impression that he was disingenuous toward the future of America moving forward to a good place.

“I was hoping to hear something a little more upbeat, instead it was very negative toward our president-elect, which was divisive and unnecessary,” said Harris.

Local residents such as Cristina Villaces, owner of Ecuatoriano Variedades convenience store in Milford, said, “I thought what he said was good, but sometimes doing things can be difficult when there is resistance.”

“I think there will be more middle-of-the-road liberals that will realize that Republicans want to work together for the benefit of the country,” said Harris.

“I think we need to work more together, and I will continue to work across the aisle on every issue,” said Roy. “We need strong bipartisan support, and it is imperative to make progress.”

The tenor from Obama's speech, including his remark, “We all have to start with the premise, that each of our fellow citizens love this country just as much as we do” was far different from the combative news conference given by Donald Trump on Wednesday, where he outlined his business plans and took questions about Russian hacking during the campaign.

"There usually seems to be a level of respect during press conferences, and there was a lot of noise I am not used to seeing,” said Roy.

“It’s just very disturbing when your incoming administration is at odds with the intelligence community,” said Murray.

“I am absolutely concerned, and I think any rational human being would be concerned because it is a national security issue and it is an integrity issue,” said Roy.

“For the sake of the country, I wish the president well, and if he succeeds, the nation as a whole succeeds, but I have my concerns,” said Roy. “It is going to be an interesting four years.”

“I think going forward, the committees will seek cyber security, and ensure that hacking is not interfering with our government process,” said Harris.

Some local Latin American businesses are worried about undocumented workers in the United States.

“Trump is making the environment more tense for immigrants,” said Francis Sarmiento, owner of Sabor Latino in Milford “Ninety percent of my customers are immigrants, and if they get deported, my business will suffer.”

Christian Yapor can be reached at 508-634-7521 or at cyaristianyapor@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChristianYapor.